“Dr. Holmes somewhere says that, ‘Apology is but one form of Egotism.’ So I shall make none. Nevertheless, - I had I earlier seen your letter, which had been in my hands, I should have sooner answered it …”

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (1842-1932) was a gifted orator and the first woman to speak before Congress. She was removed from a clerkship at the U.S. Mint for criticizing General George McClellan’s handling of the war. She campaigned for the Republicans in 1863, and continued her lyceum speaking tour after the war. After a stint acting in Broadway plays, her sister had her committed to a mental institution. Upon her release, she sued those who had her committed and the newspapers that had labeled her insane. She won in court, but the press retaliated by stopping coverage.